This gun dates to the late 1920s based on reports I have got back. It was cheap and came with a good lockup and a bore that looked better than the rest of the gun. The finish looks bad but the mechanics are just fine.
I finally got to shoot it today and I was surprised! It has a 5" bbl and fixed sights but it shot to POA and was VERY accurate! I don't mean it was accurate for an old gun or it was accurate for a cheap gun, I mean this was accurate PERIOD!.
I hate the grips but they are original. I will put some better feeling grips on this gun and really see what I can do with it. Even with these bad grips, I was able to get extremly small 6 shot groups. When I concentrated and sat down (can't use the rest because there is a wasp's nest there) I was able to get one ragged hole groups at 7 yards. I shoot real close like this when i am seeing how good a gun can shoot and not how good I can shoot. At close range, I take as much of me out of it as possible and I have found it is a better way to tell the accuracy of a gun than shooting at 25 yards. At 25 yards, it is more about how well I am shooting that day than the inherent accuracy of the gun. I was shooting some handloads that I maid using LHBWC and 4.5 grains of Unique. They are about as accurate as average and nothing special but they do a decent job. I am not the best handloader and I think factory ammo is just as accurate as any I can make.
I guess i didn't expect much out of a 80 year old $99 gun but what i saw today really shocked me! I will shoot it again and as I get used to it, I will probably get even better. I intend to pit this M&P against my 6" M-19 to see which is more accurate. I shot my Ruger Speed Six next to the M&P and found that I got tighter groups with the M&P. The Speed Six is no slouch on accuracy but I have had really good luck with S&W revolvers.
The trigger is a tad heavy in SA but it breaks very clean. The sights are hard to see in the bright sunshine because they are nickel. The grips are a joke. The bbl is pencil thin. The trigger face is narrow. The gun is too light for target work. It recoils more than it should. The cylinder latch digs into my thumb during recoil. All those problems and I still shot well and had fun! This gun has some potential. I think a good set of grips and a trigger shoe will make this gun shoot much better.
So far, I would rank this M&P as the 4th most accurate handgun I have ever owned, i have owned lots so that should count for something. in case your interested, here is my list of most accurate handguns:
1. S&W 586 4"bbl
2. Chip McCormick Colt Comander Factory Racer
3. S&W M-19 6" bbl
4. S&W M&P
The three at the top are really close but I had to choose some kind of order.
I finally got to shoot it today and I was surprised! It has a 5" bbl and fixed sights but it shot to POA and was VERY accurate! I don't mean it was accurate for an old gun or it was accurate for a cheap gun, I mean this was accurate PERIOD!.
I hate the grips but they are original. I will put some better feeling grips on this gun and really see what I can do with it. Even with these bad grips, I was able to get extremly small 6 shot groups. When I concentrated and sat down (can't use the rest because there is a wasp's nest there) I was able to get one ragged hole groups at 7 yards. I shoot real close like this when i am seeing how good a gun can shoot and not how good I can shoot. At close range, I take as much of me out of it as possible and I have found it is a better way to tell the accuracy of a gun than shooting at 25 yards. At 25 yards, it is more about how well I am shooting that day than the inherent accuracy of the gun. I was shooting some handloads that I maid using LHBWC and 4.5 grains of Unique. They are about as accurate as average and nothing special but they do a decent job. I am not the best handloader and I think factory ammo is just as accurate as any I can make.
I guess i didn't expect much out of a 80 year old $99 gun but what i saw today really shocked me! I will shoot it again and as I get used to it, I will probably get even better. I intend to pit this M&P against my 6" M-19 to see which is more accurate. I shot my Ruger Speed Six next to the M&P and found that I got tighter groups with the M&P. The Speed Six is no slouch on accuracy but I have had really good luck with S&W revolvers.
The trigger is a tad heavy in SA but it breaks very clean. The sights are hard to see in the bright sunshine because they are nickel. The grips are a joke. The bbl is pencil thin. The trigger face is narrow. The gun is too light for target work. It recoils more than it should. The cylinder latch digs into my thumb during recoil. All those problems and I still shot well and had fun! This gun has some potential. I think a good set of grips and a trigger shoe will make this gun shoot much better.
So far, I would rank this M&P as the 4th most accurate handgun I have ever owned, i have owned lots so that should count for something. in case your interested, here is my list of most accurate handguns:
1. S&W 586 4"bbl
2. Chip McCormick Colt Comander Factory Racer
3. S&W M-19 6" bbl
4. S&W M&P
The three at the top are really close but I had to choose some kind of order.
